adventures in worm composting, part two

the worms are doing great! we received our replacement worms last wednesday and got them right into their new home that evening. i gave them some fresh food and covered them up with damp newspaper and hoped that they would get settled in. according to the research i've done you are not supposed to open up the box but a few times a week because a lot of exposure to light will stress them out. so on saturday morning i decided to check them out and see if they were still alive and well, they were. the boys were very interested too and ethan even got to help out and feed them some more food and give them a little bit of water. he was very excited about seeing the worms...though he didn't make any move to touch them. so it looks like the worm box is going along well so far. and i am happy to report, it doesn't smell at all, so for now it has a home right by the door to the garage and we'll move it outside once it is consistently warmer.

first park visit of the new year!

it was finally nice enough late this week to venture outside. the boys LOVED being at the park again. it has been so long since we went last that it is interesting to see how much more miles can do now. though he is a tough one to keep track of...and he isn't nearly as cautious as ethan so you have to keep a much closer eye on him. definitely looking forward to spring and more park outings.

just another friday night in oklahoma

drive the pick-up truck out to a field and everyone plays in the bed while mom takes pictures.

really though, we were looking at some land and when i pulled up with the boys lance was in the bed of the truck and ethan really want to get up there too...so why not?

miles' 19 month stats

height: 31 inches
weight: 22 pounds, 6oz.

i was a little behind on getting miles his 18-month visit. but we made it in this morning at almost 19 months old. i ended up having a meeting this morning that i couldn't get out of so lance has his first ever solo doctor appointment....with shots...three shots! both lance and miles did well, though i didn't get much of a report back. should have send him in with a recorder so i would know what he and the doctor talked about. with the help of a lollipop miles cheered up pretty quickly after his shot. i arrived at the doctor's office just as lance was walking out of the exam room - perfect! - and got to hold a cuddly miles in the waiting room while we made sure he didn't have any reactions. other than the mmr, i have no idea what he got, that was the only one that lance reported to me.

we're on our way...

to a new home! the rain and snow of this winter have not been pleasant to anyone, but it has been incredibly hard for me to stay relaxed about it when we are trying to build our next house before our little girl arrives in june. we've had the lot prepped for over a year, but decided to wait to see if we could sell our house. well, that didn't happen, so we decided we needed to make a move on it before our family expanded to 5. of course once we decided to start the rain and snow came out and didn't ever stop long enough for the ground to dry up enough so we could begin construction. finally this past friday we were able to get started.

i know it doesn't look like much yet, but there are the forms set for the foundation of the new house. i'm very excited about this house. lance and i have put lots of thought into this one and made it a home for us specifically instead of just another spec house we'll live in for a few years. i think i am most excited about the fact that we'll be trying radiant floor heating. the house we stayed at in colorado had it and it is amazing! we're giving stained concrete floors a try too and we've done a few mock-ups that have included broken glass to give it the look of terrazzo floors. and the best part, a room perfectly sized for ethan and miles to share and a brand new nursery to decorate for sweet pea!

i am so excited that we get to start on this journey and am looking forward to seeing how everything comes together.

a first haircut!

BEFORE:
DURING (pic is from a phone, so sorry for the poor quality):

AFTER:

i am happy to report he did great! i dropped him off at the haircut place. lance was there already getting his hair cut and we decided it would be better if mom wasn't around, he tends to get so much more clingy when i am around. other than the crying when i left, lance said he did really well. i love it and now he doesn't look like a ragamuffin anymore! hooray!

as promised, we went to sonic on the way home. i told ethan he could pick whatever treat he wanted. my good little guy picked chicken strips and fries! i was very surprised he didn't pick any ice cream treats.

in the last picture he is showing off his shoes. these were a christmas gift from over a year ago and he would NOT put them on (no matter what amount of bribing we tried) until just recently. thankfully he still fit into them! he doesn't wear them everyday, but every now and then he'll pick them out. we made a big deal that they are big boy shoes like daddy's. today since he knew he was going to get his hair cut like daddy, he wanted to have on his big boy shoes as well. this was the first time he's ever picked the shoes out when it is just me at home with him...normally lance is there gently "helping" him pick the shoes. anyway, he was so proud of them he had to show them off to me again when i came back to pick him up.

that hair!

his hair is crazy! i don't even remember the last time i cut it, but it was quite a while ago. we've been saying he needs a cut for the last 2 months. he does well getting it cut at home, but we are way past my skill level now.

so tomorrow lance will be taking ethan for his first real haircut! they are going to a barbershop in town. i have promised ethan a sonic treat afterwards if he does well.